Our Portuguese Picnic Table Overfloweth

It's been a busy summer, with our weekly Concert in the Park Culinary Challenges.  We're at the end of the season now, and gearing up for the finale tomorrow - our Second Annual Jubilee. The pot will be boiling, with lots of fresh shellfish, potatoes, corn, artichokes, Cajun spices, et al.

Getting back to last Sunday's Portuguese challenge, I published our Portuguese Dessert Table post earlier in the week, and then I squeezed in a Tuscan Guest Post for my friends over at Bunkycooks. In addition to Portuguese Baked Custard Tarts, Orange Olive Oil Cake and Stuffed Figs for dessert, we feasted on an amazing spread of Portuguese food!

We tackled several recipes from David Leite's The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe's Western Coast (Grilled Piri Piri Shrimp, White Beans and Sausage, and Duck Risotto)

Grilled Piri Piri Shrimp

(For this bright Piri Piri Paste, I used a combination of Red Padron and Jalapeno Chiles, and one Habanero)

Mom beat me to My Family's (David Leite's family's) White Beans and Linguica Sausage, a dish I've been wanting to try for a long time. Beans are a traditional side dish in Portugal, especially for pork and beef

John was all over the Duck Risotto with Ham and Sausage, grilling duck breasts in the park and slowly adding chicken stock to his his dutch oven full of risotto. Arroz de pato, or duck with rice, is a specialty of the Minho region. The risotto has linguica, shredded duck leg meat, and Serrano ham.

Kai grilled Stuffed Squid and Linguica. The stuffed squid have been on my list to make also, and these were incredible! 

Carmen shared a hearty dutch oven full of Jagacida Verde, Cape Verdean Bean and Sausage Stew.  Carmen made hers with prosciutto, linguica, roasted chicken, collards, baby limas from Mississippi, onion, garlic, green pepper, celery, and green tomato paste.

Mary and Geoff traveled down the coast with Camarao Monzambique

Dena, our new snow skiing buddy ;-) prepared Tuna Empanadas

Pammy, finally back home on the Island after her travels, made Portuguese Salad of Black-Eyed Peas with Tuna, from Leite's Culinaria 

Jack and Sandra baked up a beautiful Gratin, of which the name escapes me...

And, here's Alec and Nina's Green Olive Dip

Whew, I'm stuffed just thinking about all the wonderful food we've experienced this summer.

Unfortunately, I'm unable to share all of these Portuguese recipes in one post, but I wholeheartedly recommend The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe's Western Coast, which has many of them, as well as David Leite's blog, Leite's Culinaria.

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